Remote controlled door lock apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for use with a door lock mounted on a door having a hand lever and a key mechanism for moving a lock bolt of said door lock between a locked condition and an unlocked condition, comprising: override means connected to said hand lever and said key mechanism for allowing said hand lever to override said key mechanism to lock and unlock said lock bolt, said hand lever having a first position in which said lock bolt is in its locked condition and a second position in which said lock bolt is in its unlocked condition solenoid means including a coil with a movable magnetic core, and a linkage, said linkage being secured at one end to said core and at the other end to said hand lever, wherein said core, when no current flows through said solenoid means, is at its rest position so that said hand lever is in its first position, and wherein said core, when current flows through said solenoid means, moves to its operative position so that said linkage moves said hand lever to its second position; and operator control means, disposed remotely from said door, connected by a conductor cable to said solenoid means and connected by plug means to a source of electrical energy, said operator control means including a mouthpiece switch located in close proximity to said mouthpiece, said switch being normally at a first, opened position at which current cannot flow from said source to said solenoid means and, when pressure from an operator exhaling through said mouthpiece is applied to said switch, said switch moves to a second, closed position at which current can flow from said source to said solenoid means, whereby said operator control means and said solenoid means connected by said linkage to said hand lever are used to override said key mechanism to remotely unlock said lock bolt of said door lock by said operator exhaling through said mouthpiece at a position remote from said door.

Claim 2

An apparatus for use with a door lock mounted on a door having a hand lever and a key mechanism for moving a lock bolt of said door lock between a locked condition and an unlocked condition, comprising: override means connected to said hand lever and said key mechanism for allowing said hand lever to override said key mechanism to lock and unlock said lock bolt, said hand lever having a first position in which said lock bolt is in its locked condition and a second position in which said lock bolt is in its unlocked condition solenoid means including a coil with a movable magnetic core, and a linkage, said linkage being secured at one end to said core and at the other end to said hand lever, wherein said core, when no current flows through said solenoid means, is at its rest position so that said hand lever is in its first position, and wherein said core, when current flows through said solenoid means, moves to its operative position so that said linkage moves said hand lever to its second position; and operator control means, disposed remotely from said door, connected by a conductor cable to said solenoid means and connected by plug means to a source of electrical energy, said operator control means including a mouthpiece switch located in close proximity to said mouthpiece, said switch being normally at a first, opened position at which current cannot flow from said source to said solenoid means and, when pressure from an operator exhaling through said mouthpiece is applied to said switch, said switch moves to a second, closed position at which current can flow from said source to said solenoid means, whereby said operator control means and said solenoid means connected by said linkage to said hand lever are used to override said key mechanism to remotely unlock said lock bolt of said door lock by said operator exhaling through said mouthpiece at a position remote from said door.